Amanda Charles ENGL 340 01 2/28/12 Telephone Connections
Author John Berger in his writing Understanding a Photograph claims that a good photograph is one that makes it clear why the photographer believed the subject at the specific time was worth recording and representing (292). Images, photographs in particular, strongly affect those who view them. The study of rhetoric helps explain and analyze these effects. Berger describes rhetoric as a necessity so we can comprehend “a weapon which we can use and which can be used against us” (294). An excellent place to expound upon the concepts of rhetoric is the famous LIFE magazine. LIFE magazine, which began printing in 1936, is often considered synonymous with the spread and popularization of photojournalism. As its name suggests, LIFE did an excellent job of connecting with the interests of their readers. This identification paved the way for LIFE’s prosperity. One of their many photographers was Grey Villet. Villet was known for his candid shots that made the viewer feel part of the picture. He covered a wide variety of topics and issues. Regardless of the subject, Villet showed life for what it was. On multiple different occasions he showed people talking on the telephone. These photographs caught my interest as it initially seemed like an unusual focal point. The first two photographs were taken from a series in which Villet chronicled a teenage couple’s relationship. The first shows the girl, Ginny Nyvall, in her room talking on the phone to her boyfriend Charlie Hoag. The second photograph is its counterpart and shows the boy of interest talking to Ginny. The third photograph simply shows the face of a middle aged man, looking somewhat overwhelmed, talking on the phone. This was from a series Villet took of Oren Lee Stanely who at the time was the president of the National Farmers’ Association. All three of these photographs were being sold to the American public in the 1950’s. Villet’s photographs of telephone conversations were printed in LIFE magazine because they connect with the audience of LIFE’s readers. These photographs accomplish this connection by allowing the viewer to identify with them through their linguistic, literal, and symbolic messages.
Roland Barthes describes three classifications of photographic messages in his essay Rhetoic of the Image. The first message is called the linguistic. This message refers to the effects that any connected text has on the interpretation of the photograph (156). Villet’s titles of his photographs were always straightforward and factual. They help the viewer answer the question of what they are looking at. The title of the first picture is “Ginny Nyvall Talking on the Phone to Charlie Hoag.” This message is important because it tells the viewer who the recipient of the phone call is. Through this information we can filter the rest of the photograph. It helps the viewer understand the other messages that the image produces.
The second picture’s title provides a very similar message. It is entitled “Ginny Nyvall Talking to Charlie Hoag Who Finds Privacy in a Closet”. This title similarly provides the context of who he is talking to. It also begins to give the viewer an emotional reading of the photograph by suggesting that the subject is seeking privacy.
The last photograph is titled “Oren Lee Stanley, President Of The Nat’L Farmers’ Assoc.” This linguistic message gives a lot of meaning to the photograph because there is little context given in the photograph itself. It provides the context of both who we’re looking at and why they are important. From the title the viewer is prompted to associate his telephone conversation with his job as the President of the National Farmers’ Association. Without this linguistic message the viewer’s understanding of the telephone call would be much vaguer.
As a whole, all three linguistic messages provide information on who the subjects are and the basics of what was important to them at the time that the photograph was taken. From this lens we can view the other two messages. As such, the linguistic message is important in telling the viewers of LIFE readers that they have a connection with the photographs and can identify with them. But, the linguistic message does not provide the majority of the message that is intended to make the audience connect with the photographs.
The second message is the literal or denotated message. This message is interpretation and identification of what the viewer is looking at. In the first image a young woman is seen lying on her bed in a room. This message takes note of the telephone in her hand, the decorations on the wall, and other physical characteristics.
In the second photograph the literal message quickly identifies a young man talking on the telephone while sitting in a closet. The viewer recognizes the edge of the steps, the door of the closet, and the items shown hanging above where the man is sitting. Other aspects such as the young man’s flannel shirt are identified in this message.
The third photograph, as mentioned previously, shows the face of a middle aged man also talking on the telephone. Through this literal message the reader can notice of the position of his free hand on his face, and the expression he is making with his face. It can also be acknowledged how through this message that there is nothing else that can be seen in the background. The entire focus of the photograph is on the man’s face.
Looking at all three pictures together one can identify three different people holding a telephone in various locations. This message again allows for some identification of the photograph with the viewer but not a significant amount. Since this message only recognizes objects it limits the amount of connection. Nonetheless, readers of LIFE would more than likely have something in common with what is seen in the photographs. For instance, the viewers may be the same age as the young couple or have children around their age. Perhaps a viewer has also had a conversation on the telephone from a closet. The items identified through this message are meant to connect to things that the viewer already knows. However, simply acknowledging what is present in the photograph is only the beginning of its interpretation.
The third message that Barthes outlines is the symbolic or connotated message. This message gives meaning to what is seen. The possibilities of messages received from this stage are as various as the audience that views it. The symbolic message is filtered through the knowledge and understanding of the viewer. Many aspects such as gender, age, and cultural background effect the way connections are made. As such, these connotations associated with a particular photograph are very influential because they are also very personal. As Faigley says, “visual arguments often are powerful because they invite views to co-create claims and links” (86). This message is what created the deep identification with photographs that so popularized Villet’s photographs in LIFE. This is also what continues to cause people to view, and still be able to order prints on websites like art.com, Villet’s photographs because they possess the ability to connect to current audiences through their connotated messages.
The first picture of Ginny Nyvall talking to Charlie Hoag presents many possible messages to its audience. Suddenly the aspects noticed in the literal message are given meaning. For instance, the way she is laying on the bed portrays a variety of feelings. How the viewer sees her as feeling is likely affected by personal metaphors created. Faigley describes visual metaphors as using an image to represent abstract ideas (89). Perhaps if the viewer is currently in a similar stage of a relationship they would immediately connect through their metaphors of the relationship they are in. As such, her body language would probably suggest emotions like joy, ease, and maybe even some nervousness. Conversely, her curled position could be seen as seeking protection. A viewer who has recently had heartache from a relationship may be hesitant towards love. This personal emotion can affect the symbolic messages received from her body language. People who have never been in love may connect with this photograph because it is a desire that they have. Therefore they like the photograph and the ideas it presents because they connect it with their personal hopes and dreams. Females viewing the LIFE magazine in particular can receive symbolic messages through this photograph. Young girls may view the room Ginny is in and receive the message that if they are to be in love their room should resemble hers. They may want to mimic her hair or wardrobe because they want to experience the emotions she is experiencing in the photograph. Whatever current ideas or beliefs viewers have about love, this photograph provides symbolic messages about love that they can connect with.
The second picture of Ginny’s love interest can also portray many of the same messages. His expression seems slightly apprehensive. This may be viewed as being because he is unsure of the relationship or because he is very interested in the relationship and he doesn’t want to mess it up. From the linguistic message the viewer knows that he is seeking privacy. This allows the viewer to metaphorically connect to the emotions they have whey when are seeking privacy. This also confirms his interest in wanting to be alone with Ginny, even if it is only through a private telephone conversation. The surroundings of the house also provide connotated messages. The viewer’s feelings toward their home will affect how they read this photograph. This photograph’s placement in the acclaimed LIFE magazine may cause viewers to idolize this young man. Other young men may receive symbolic messages about what they should be like to be successful in the dating realm. Conversely, young women receive messages about what is desirable in a man they would date.
The symbolic messages in the third photograph have a very different feel than the first two. The facial expression on Stanely’s face portrays stress and gives a feeling of being overwhelmed. The viewer can quickly connect to their work place and the stresses that come from work. The placement of his hand may indicate that he has a headache or that he is having trouble focusing on the conversation. In the context of the time this photograph it was published it was likely to be associated with the troubles that farmers had during the Great Depression. Even though this initial context is no longer relevant, because work and stress is well known it creates a timeless connection with viewers.
The connecting trend of all three photographs is the messages they send about the telephone. While the first two pictures portray mostly positive messages about the use of the telephone, the last picture shows that it can be a stressful event as well. As a whole, these pictures send the message that the use of the telephone is an important part of society. Love and work are two major pieces of the human population. These photographs add commentary to both of these arenas and the emotions that can be associated with them.
Overall, the messages that these three photographs send provide the viewer the ability to identify with them. They possess the capability to connect with a wide variety of audience because they address such basic human issues. These pictures in LIFE were trying to persuade the audience viewing them that they could relate to what the magazine was selling. More often than not this happened entirely subconsciously through the linguistic, literal, and symbolic messages in Villet’s photographs.
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. “Rhetoric of the Image.” p. 152-163.
Berger, John. “Understanding a Photograph.”
Faigley, Lester. “Understanding a Visual Argument.” p. 85-103.
Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
-I believe that the writer demonstrates a clear understanding of rhetorical analysis with this paper. She uses many rhetorical tools, such as the three messages (linguistic, literal, and symbolic) to analyze all three of the photographs, and with great effect.
What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
-The communicative purpose of the photographs, according to the writer, is that the telephone is an integral part of society because it is a method through which relationships and the workplace are connected to the individual. It is an appropriate argument and clearly presented through use of Barthe’s three messages.
What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
- All of the photographs depict people on the telephone. The first two indicate a romantic relationship. The third depicts a platonic relationship. The final photograph depicts a relationship with the workplace. The trend between the photographs is clear and effectively presented.
What did you like about how the various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis.
-Barthes and his three messages made up the bulk of this paper. The three messages were used to analyze the photographs with great effect. I believe that some theories from Ramage, particular the tool of the terministic screen to describe the telephone, would be useful.
Brandon Lalli Amanda Charles Evaluation: Paper 1 RA
Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
I believe that the writer understands the concept of rhetorical analysis and demonstrates it well. This is due to the heavy use of Barthes in the paper. This helps analyze the pictures for the reader.
What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
The communicative purpose is that the phone is an important part of society, and how different people use it for different uses. It is appropriate and use effectively.
What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
The claim I would guess would be that it is everyone talking on their phones, but how different people talk differently. The first two are talking to each other in a romantic way, while the third is talking about business, a completely different mood.
What did you like about how the various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis.
I like how she uses Barthes' linguistic, with the interpretation of the photograph, and later the other two theories are placed in well. I would have to agree with Nicole, use of Ramage would be of great use. Just adding this could get you up to an other page if that was a problem in the the first place that is.
All photographs courtesy of Grey Villet gallery from art.com (http://www.art.com/gallery/id--a7924/grey-villet-posters.htm?ui=0228FA04255E497B95588AB58224B823)
Amanda Charles
ENGL 340 01
2/28/12
Telephone Connections
Author John Berger in his writing Understanding a Photograph claims that a good photograph is one that makes it clear why the photographer believed the subject at the specific time was worth recording and representing (292). Images, photographs in particular, strongly affect those who view them. The study of rhetoric helps explain and analyze these effects. Berger describes rhetoric as a necessity so we can comprehend “a weapon which we can use and which can be used against us” (294). An excellent place to expound upon the concepts of rhetoric is the famous LIFE magazine. LIFE magazine, which began printing in 1936, is often considered synonymous with the spread and popularization of photojournalism. As its name suggests, LIFE did an excellent job of connecting with the interests of their readers. This identification paved the way for LIFE’s prosperity. One of their many photographers was Grey Villet. Villet was known for his candid shots that made the viewer feel part of the picture. He covered a wide variety of topics and issues. Regardless of the subject, Villet showed life for what it was. On multiple different occasions he showed people talking on the telephone. These photographs caught my interest as it initially seemed like an unusual focal point. The first two photographs were taken from a series in which Villet chronicled a teenage couple’s relationship. The first shows the girl, Ginny Nyvall, in her room talking on the phone to her boyfriend Charlie Hoag. The second photograph is its counterpart and shows the boy of interest talking to Ginny. The third photograph simply shows the face of a middle aged man, looking somewhat overwhelmed, talking on the phone. This was from a series Villet took of Oren Lee Stanely who at the time was the president of the National Farmers’ Association. All three of these photographs were being sold to the American public in the 1950’s. Villet’s photographs of telephone conversations were printed in LIFE magazine because they connect with the audience of LIFE’s readers. These photographs accomplish this connection by allowing the viewer to identify with them through their linguistic, literal, and symbolic messages.
Roland Barthes describes three classifications of photographic messages in his essay Rhetoic of the Image. The first message is called the linguistic. This message refers to the effects that any connected text has on the interpretation of the photograph (156). Villet’s titles of his photographs were always straightforward and factual. They help the viewer answer the question of what they are looking at. The title of the first picture is “Ginny Nyvall Talking on the Phone to Charlie Hoag.” This message is important because it tells the viewer who the recipient of the phone call is. Through this information we can filter the rest of the photograph. It helps the viewer understand the other messages that the image produces.
The second picture’s title provides a very similar message. It is entitled “Ginny Nyvall Talking to Charlie Hoag Who Finds Privacy in a Closet”. This title similarly provides the context of who he is talking to. It also begins to give the viewer an emotional reading of the photograph by suggesting that the subject is seeking privacy.
The last photograph is titled “Oren Lee Stanley, President Of The Nat’L Farmers’ Assoc.” This linguistic message gives a lot of meaning to the photograph because there is little context given in the photograph itself. It provides the context of both who we’re looking at and why they are important. From the title the viewer is prompted to associate his telephone conversation with his job as the President of the National Farmers’ Association. Without this linguistic message the viewer’s understanding of the telephone call would be much vaguer.
As a whole, all three linguistic messages provide information on who the subjects are and the basics of what was important to them at the time that the photograph was taken. From this lens we can view the other two messages. As such, the linguistic message is important in telling the viewers of LIFE readers that they have a connection with the photographs and can identify with them. But, the linguistic message does not provide the majority of the message that is intended to make the audience connect with the photographs.
The second message is the literal or denotated message. This message is interpretation and identification of what the viewer is looking at. In the first image a young woman is seen lying on her bed in a room. This message takes note of the telephone in her hand, the decorations on the wall, and other physical characteristics.
In the second photograph the literal message quickly identifies a young man talking on the telephone while sitting in a closet. The viewer recognizes the edge of the steps, the door of the closet, and the items shown hanging above where the man is sitting. Other aspects such as the young man’s flannel shirt are identified in this message.
The third photograph, as mentioned previously, shows the face of a middle aged man also talking on the telephone. Through this literal message the reader can notice of the position of his free hand on his face, and the expression he is making with his face. It can also be acknowledged how through this message that there is nothing else that can be seen in the background. The entire focus of the photograph is on the man’s face.
Looking at all three pictures together one can identify three different people holding a telephone in various locations. This message again allows for some identification of the photograph with the viewer but not a significant amount. Since this message only recognizes objects it limits the amount of connection. Nonetheless, readers of LIFE would more than likely have something in common with what is seen in the photographs. For instance, the viewers may be the same age as the young couple or have children around their age. Perhaps a viewer has also had a conversation on the telephone from a closet. The items identified through this message are meant to connect to things that the viewer already knows. However, simply acknowledging what is present in the photograph is only the beginning of its interpretation.
The third message that Barthes outlines is the symbolic or connotated message. This message gives meaning to what is seen. The possibilities of messages received from this stage are as various as the audience that views it. The symbolic message is filtered through the knowledge and understanding of the viewer. Many aspects such as gender, age, and cultural background effect the way connections are made. As such, these connotations associated with a particular photograph are very influential because they are also very personal. As Faigley says, “visual arguments often are powerful because they invite views to co-create claims and links” (86). This message is what created the deep identification with photographs that so popularized Villet’s photographs in LIFE. This is also what continues to cause people to view, and still be able to order prints on websites like art.com, Villet’s photographs because they possess the ability to connect to current audiences through their connotated messages.
The first picture of Ginny Nyvall talking to Charlie Hoag presents many possible messages to its audience. Suddenly the aspects noticed in the literal message are given meaning. For instance, the way she is laying on the bed portrays a variety of feelings. How the viewer sees her as feeling is likely affected by personal metaphors created. Faigley describes visual metaphors as using an image to represent abstract ideas (89). Perhaps if the viewer is currently in a similar stage of a relationship they would immediately connect through their metaphors of the relationship they are in. As such, her body language would probably suggest emotions like joy, ease, and maybe even some nervousness. Conversely, her curled position could be seen as seeking protection. A viewer who has recently had heartache from a relationship may be hesitant towards love. This personal emotion can affect the symbolic messages received from her body language. People who have never been in love may connect with this photograph because it is a desire that they have. Therefore they like the photograph and the ideas it presents because they connect it with their personal hopes and dreams. Females viewing the LIFE magazine in particular can receive symbolic messages through this photograph. Young girls may view the room Ginny is in and receive the message that if they are to be in love their room should resemble hers. They may want to mimic her hair or wardrobe because they want to experience the emotions she is experiencing in the photograph. Whatever current ideas or beliefs viewers have about love, this photograph provides symbolic messages about love that they can connect with.
The second picture of Ginny’s love interest can also portray many of the same messages. His expression seems slightly apprehensive. This may be viewed as being because he is unsure of the relationship or because he is very interested in the relationship and he doesn’t want to mess it up. From the linguistic message the viewer knows that he is seeking privacy. This allows the viewer to metaphorically connect to the emotions they have whey when are seeking privacy. This also confirms his interest in wanting to be alone with Ginny, even if it is only through a private telephone conversation. The surroundings of the house also provide connotated messages. The viewer’s feelings toward their home will affect how they read this photograph. This photograph’s placement in the acclaimed LIFE magazine may cause viewers to idolize this young man. Other young men may receive symbolic messages about what they should be like to be successful in the dating realm. Conversely, young women receive messages about what is desirable in a man they would date.
The symbolic messages in the third photograph have a very different feel than the first two. The facial expression on Stanely’s face portrays stress and gives a feeling of being overwhelmed. The viewer can quickly connect to their work place and the stresses that come from work. The placement of his hand may indicate that he has a headache or that he is having trouble focusing on the conversation. In the context of the time this photograph it was published it was likely to be associated with the troubles that farmers had during the Great Depression. Even though this initial context is no longer relevant, because work and stress is well known it creates a timeless connection with viewers.
The connecting trend of all three photographs is the messages they send about the telephone. While the first two pictures portray mostly positive messages about the use of the telephone, the last picture shows that it can be a stressful event as well. As a whole, these pictures send the message that the use of the telephone is an important part of society. Love and work are two major pieces of the human population. These photographs add commentary to both of these arenas and the emotions that can be associated with them.
Overall, the messages that these three photographs send provide the viewer the ability to identify with them. They possess the capability to connect with a wide variety of audience because they address such basic human issues. These pictures in LIFE were trying to persuade the audience viewing them that they could relate to what the magazine was selling. More often than not this happened entirely subconsciously through the linguistic, literal, and symbolic messages in Villet’s photographs.
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. “Rhetoric of the Image.” p. 152-163.
Berger, John. “Understanding a Photograph.”
Faigley, Lester. “Understanding a Visual Argument.” p. 85-103.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicole Wang
Dr. Archibald
Visual Rhetoric
Engl 340.01
Amanda Charles Evaluation: Paper 1 RA
-I believe that the writer demonstrates a clear understanding of rhetorical analysis with this paper. She uses many rhetorical tools, such as the three messages (linguistic, literal, and symbolic) to analyze all three of the photographs, and with great effect.
-The communicative purpose of the photographs, according to the writer, is that the telephone is an integral part of society because it is a method through which relationships and the workplace are connected to the individual. It is an appropriate argument and clearly presented through use of Barthe’s three messages.
- All of the photographs depict people on the telephone. The first two indicate a romantic relationship. The third depicts a platonic relationship. The final photograph depicts a relationship with the workplace. The trend between the photographs is clear and effectively presented.
What did you like about how the various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis.
-Barthes and his three messages made up the bulk of this paper. The three messages were used to analyze the photographs with great effect. I believe that some theories from Ramage, particular the tool of the terministic screen to describe the telephone, would be useful.
Brandon Lalli
Amanda Charles Evaluation: Paper 1 RA
- Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
I believe that the writer understands the concept of rhetorical analysis and demonstrates it well. This is due to the heavy use of Barthes in the paper. This helps analyze the pictures for the reader.The communicative purpose is that the phone is an important part of society, and how different people use it for different uses. It is appropriate and use effectively.
The claim I would guess would be that it is everyone talking on their phones, but how different people talk differently. The first two are talking to each other in a romantic way, while the third is talking about business, a completely different mood.
I like how she uses Barthes' linguistic, with the interpretation of the photograph, and later the other two theories are placed in well. I would have to agree with Nicole, use of Ramage would be of great use. Just adding this could get you up to an other page if that was a problem in the the first place that is.